Fuel tanks are used to supply fuel to internal combustion engines. For example, 4WD (four-wheel-drive) vehicles and FR (front engine, rear wheel drive) vehicles use a so-called saddle fuel tank, the bottom of which is upwardly recessed at the center portion in the width direction of the vehicle, in order for the fuel tank to avoid physical interference with the propeller shaft, which extends down the middle of the vehicle.
The saddle fuel tank is generally divided into a first reservoir for reserving fuel and a second reservoir for reserving the fuel, and each of the first reservoir and the second reservoir is equipped with one fuel pumping system. Accordingly, the saddle fuel tank requires the two fuel pumping systems in comparison with fuel tanks for use in 2WD (two-wheel-drive) vehicles, and thus it is more costly and larger.
There is known a fuel tank level equalizer system as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-061515 (hereinafter referred to as a “conventional art”). As shown in FIG. 18 of the accompanying drawings, the fuel tank level equalizer system according to the conventional art includes a fuel tank 1 having two separate sections 1a, 1b, and operates to equalize fuel levels in the separate sections 1a, 1b through a siphon 2.
The separate section 1b houses therein a fuel pump module 3 which has an outlet connected to a bypass pressure regulator 4. The regulator 4 has an outlet connected to a conduit 5 through which a liquid fuel is supplied to a nozzle 6a of a jet pump 6. The jet pump 6 is operated by the liquid fuel that is supplied to the nozzle 6a, drawing the fuel from fuel pickups 2a, 2b of the siphon 2 through the siphon 2.
The fuel levels in the separate sections 1a, 1b are thus equalized through the siphon 2, and a single fuel level sensor 7 can monitor all the fuel levels in the vehicle.